Dark Myst
by xXFrostKittenXx
Summary: Jack Wolfe, son of a supposed traitor, wasn't expected to live long enough to receive his acceptance letter, but he did. Not only that, but he also gets a very special starter Pokemon. T because I'm paranoid, may up the rating later, please R&R! Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Adventure, Horror, with a few other things on the side.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Jack Wolfe was never supposed to receive a letter. But not only does he get a letter from Dark Myst Academy, but when he goes to get his school supplies, he gets a very special Pokémon as well…

AN: I don't own Pokemon. No, this is not a crossover, even if it seems like it sometimes. I may reference stuff, but I don't own those things, either.

* * *

The room was lit dimly by single, dying lamp, the bulb flickering tiredly. Jack Wolfe stretched across his bed, staring blankly at the slightly off-colored stones where the single, high window had been blocked up.

When he was little, he used to climb up on his desk, drag his chair up and stand on it, and stare out the window, his green and blue eyes peering through the slightly-too-long grass, his raven colored hair barely visible. He would stare out and hope his father came back from wherever they took him and rescue him and his older brother, James. Then they could go home, play hide-and-seek, and be a family again.

Then Lord Richards, who had taken him in (if you could call it that), caught him looking out one day and paid a stonemason to brick the spot up. There went his happy daydreaming. Not long after, James died, crushing what remained of Jack's young spirit.

He heard the lock outside click, the heavy chains rattling as they slid away. That was his cue to get up and go to Lord Richards's office for his "challenge."

Challenge…what a joke. It was a task he was guaranteed to fail. An hour to find some Pokemon or berry or herb that couldn't be found on the Richards estate, if it existed at all. If he failed, he was punished. If he completed the task, he got a "prize." It was all part of his "rehabilitation."

Jack rolled out of bed and approached the door, swallowing hard. His punishment could very well kill him, but he would rather take it than the so-called reward. If only he had the guts to run away. Go out on assignment and never look back. But he wouldn't survive the first night, and he knew it; Richards knew it, too.

If only someone would think to check up on him…but who would bother? He was the son of a traitor, no one would bother to rescue him, and no one would be willing to take him in if they did. Certainly the crown wouldn't interfere, after the trial.

Once he reached Lord Richards's office, he knocked softly. "Come in," a light voice called.

Taking a breath, Jack pushed the door open and took two steps inside, keeping his eyes fixed on the wooden floor boards and staying as far away as possible from the desk.

Strangely, he didn't immediately receive a task. Normally, Richards snapped an order at him and let him flee to the forest, but today, all Jack heard was shuffling papers. He started feeling nauseous, worrying about this new development, wondering if Richards was going to forgo the challenge altogether.

Finally, the man spoke, his voice casual. "You have a letter."

Jack swallowed, risking a glance up. Who would send him a letter? Then he caught sight of something.

There, on the desk, in plain sight, was the letter, his name written across it in bold green script. Sitting in a chair, watching him curiously, was a stranger, probably the poor sap who got roped into delivering it. And on the other side of the desk, a halo of light behind him obscuring the finer details of his expression, was the elder Richards himself.

Of course, it didn't take much imagination for Jack to figure out his expression. Jack didn't always meet the visitors who came through—Richards preferred to leave him locked in his room, "studying." But when he did, he was expected to act "normal," whatever that was. Probably like he wasn't being almost drowned, or beaten, or chained outside for not finding the non-existent Nark Berry, or a blue magikarp. So Jack, his eyes flickering once towards the stranger, edged forward and tried not to look like he was afraid of anything.

He slid his finger under the flap of the envelope, carefully opening it. It might have seemed weird to an outsider, but Jack had never gotten a letter before, so he didn't want to damage the envelope. He unfolded the papers, his eyes scanning over it quickly.

_Dear Mr. Wolfe_

_We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted to Dark Myst Academy, a training academy to prepare students to face the Forester Elite Four. Enclosed is a list of required supplies and materials for your first year of schooling._

_We await your reply no later than July 31._

_Regards,_

_Darrel Askance_

_Headmaster, Dark Myst Academy_

An acceptance letter? He looked up at Richards and the stranger uncertainly, wondering if Richards had decided to play a cruel joke. No, that was more Liam's style, his son. What was Dark Myst Academy, anyway? The letter said it prepared students to face the Elite Four, but that couldn't be all, could it? He had never heard anything about it before.

The stranger looked at him calmly, as if expecting something. Hell, maybe he was expecting Jack to fall to his knees, thanking him profusely. It wouldn't surprise him; he would never have expected a way out to be presented so readily to him.

A look at Richards confirmed the man's agitation. Even though his face was blank—almost serene—his eyes were a dark, stormy grey, promising pain later. Jack fought back a shudder. As it was, he was sure he still shrank away, judging by the stranger's raised eyebrow.

"You'll be going with Liam to get your school supplies." Richards watched him carefully, leaning back in his chair.

Jack cringed internally. "Th-thank you, sir." Richards nodded curtly, a clear dismissal, and Jack turned on his heel, thanking them both before leaving. As the door snapped shut, he could hear Richards say something, the other man laughing sharply. He winced, knowing he had missed something and would pay for it later.

A guard who had been waiting for him led him to the front hall, where Liam was hopping impatiently from one foot to the other in a strange dance. The other boy glared at Jack as he approached.

Liam and Jack were the same age, fourteen, but radically different. Liam had his father's golden locks and eyes that ranged from icy blue to various shades of grey, depending on his mood, and was just as much a bully. Jack had dark hair and eyes like a stormy sea, blue with hints of green and steel; James used to tell him that he looked exactly like their mother, Sophia, where James's auburn hair and coffee eyes spoke of their father, Eric.

"Why are _you_ here?" Liam sneered, arms folding across his chest. He glared at the guard. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take him back to his cell! Father didn't say anything about him coming."

"Lord Richards has commanded he go with you to get his school supplies," the guard explained smoothly. Jack gave him a grateful glance. The guard gave him a short, cool glance, almost disgusted; he didn't do it for him, exactly; he hated dealing with Liam's bratty behavior, and took every opportunity to knock him down a peg or two.

The guard guided them out the door before Liam could start complaining, pushing them to the waiting rapidash-drawn carriage. Jack squished himself into a corner, making himself as small as possible, drawing out his letter to see what supplies he needed while the guard ordered the driver to take them to Charity Square.

_All students are required to bring the following:_

_One starter Pokemon._

_The Forester Compendium, by Felicia Greene_

_Pokemon Basics, by Felicity Fairfield_

_Items and Medicines, Sixth Addition, by Serena Anders_

_Gotta Craft 'Em All! PokeBall Edition, by Samuel Hawthorne_

_Four school uniforms._

_One basic medicine crafting kit._

_One basic apricorn set._

_Five empty basic PokeBalls._

Jack stared at the list, a lump forming in his throat. Serena Anders…his grandmother, the head of the Anders family. Even she had refused to take him and his brother, instead disowning her daughter to prove her loyalty to the crown.

Something thumped against his head. A piece of paper that had been crumpled up, probably launched by a certain bored brat. He stared moodily at it for a moment before looking out the window; if he tried to retaliate, he would catch hell from Lord Richards.

"How'd you even get a letter, anyway?" the blonde sulked. He was not looking forward to everyone at his new school learning that he was connected to the son of a traitor.

Before the blonde could say anything else, the carriage came to a smooth halt, the rapidashes pawing the ground with their diamond-hard hooves. The driver opened the door, allowing the boys and their escort to jump down.

Liam immediately took off, running straight into a crowd that was surrounding two battling kids, who couldn't have been more than twelve. Merchants' children, perhaps, or maybe even farmers'; the nobility never allowed their children to journey and risk dying, leaving their parents without a suitable heir. Or worse, tempting them to abandon their duty.

The guard led Jack towards the shops, sticking to the edge of the crowd, where it was less packed. Still, Jack's palms started sweating as they approached the mass of bodies, and it was all he could do not to hide in the nearest secluded corner.

Eventually, the older man stopped, glancing at his own list, probably borrowed from Liam. "Come on," he said distractedly, somehow forgetting to be hostile, "the book shop's closest. We can get your starter once that crowd clears out a little."

Once they stepped inside _Tons of Tomes_, the guard elected to stay by the counter while Jack found his books himself. Jack loved the shop; it had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, winding maze-like throughout the building, and the ceiling was the highest he had ever seen outside the Richards' mansion. The whole thing felt cozy and warm, like he would be safe there.

At _Jacob's Apothecary_, Jack found himself in love for a whole different reason. Even though the shop was musty and the windows were slightly grimy, the bins of berries, apricorn powders, and herbs combined to create a powerful, spicy, almost _adventurous_ scent that had shivers running up and down his spine—and in a totally good way, which was new.

_Lucinda's Latest_ was where he got his uniforms. The girl at the counter spent the entire time flirting with the guard, while an older woman helped him pick out the right size. She tried to get him to buy a Moonstone choker that she swore would make him the envy of his entire class, but he politely declined, knowing Liam and his father would both beat him six ways from Sunday if they ever found out.

By the time they got his uniforms, the crowd was gone, the sun was just starting to set, and Liam was inside a shop called _Sharpe's Menagerie_, picking his starter. Jack glanced around and decided to take a look inside _Joy's Treasure Chest_ instead.

A bell chimed cheerily at him as he pushed the door open. Inside, the walls were painted a cheerful shade of yellow, and the floor was carpeted in the same shade of pink that the wooden counter had been painted. The walls were adorned with pictures of kids ranging from nine to fifteen with a variety of Pokemon.

"Hello, there! Welcome to my shop!" a voice chirped. Looking over, he saw a woman with pink hair standing behind the counter with a blissey and a slowking. "I'm Ginger Joy, a retired nurse. Are you looking for a starter Pokemon?"

Jack approached, nodding shyly. When he reached the counter, the woman beamed.

"Well, then, let's get started! You just come over here—" She pointed to a space in front of Slowking. "—and we'll let Slowking test you for the best match, alright?"

"O-okay," Jack replied, nodding sharply. He stood in front of the psychic type for a moment, before offering his hand uncertainly. "I'm Jack," he introduced himself to it softly, feeling it was only polite. The slowking smiled at him, taking his hand.

For a moment, Jack felt nothing, and wondered if something had gone wrong. Then, he felt something akin to butterfree wings brushing the edge of his mind, like a warning, and then a dull pressure, like someone was pressing on the inside of his forehead. Images flashed before his eyes, memories, like he was dying, but instead of starting at the beginning and working its way to that point in time, it was in reverse, and Jack tensed as he felt the ghost of a hand around his throat, choking automatically, a hand on his hip, and he was _shoving_ at the pressure to get it away, make it stop—

It stopped.

Tears were streaming down his face when he found himself looking at a very troubled slowking, his breathing labored like he had just sprinted a mile. The psychic Pokemon patted his hand gently, like it was about to give the boy the solution to all his problems, before going in the back room.

Ginger looked at him, concerned, and even the guard looked alarmed. Jack shrank instinctively away. "I'm fine," he muttered, looking away.

Slowking came back with a green and white PokeBall with four red dots slanted towards the middle and a gold dot in the center. It grabbed Jack's hand from the counter and placed the ball firmly in his hand. Then it backed away, as if nothing had happened.

Jack walked back to the other two, holding the strange PokeBall carefully with both hands, afraid to drop it. He looked at Ginger quizzically.

Ginger smiled. "Here at the _Treasure Chest_, we use Friend Balls instead of standard PokeBalls or the Ultra Balls the menagerie across the way uses." She took the ball and placed it in a wooden case, alongside five standard PokeBalls. "These PokeBalls are empty and come complimentary." She rang them up. "Why don't you see what Slowking picked out for you?" she suggested.

Jack picked the Friend Ball up and squared his shoulders. "Go!" he called with a toss.

The ball popped open, releasing a torrent of light that formed a small, four-legged shape. It solidified into a red-and-brown fox-like animal with six tails.

"Vuuuulpix," it yawned.

* * *

AN: So, yeah. Chapter One. No, they aren't getting Pokedexes. The guard won't be making a reappearance after Jack leaves for school, which is why he doesn't have a name. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Special thanks to: beanboy21, for being the first reviewer! Thanks a ton!

AN: I'm so, so sorry this is so short :( I'd originally planned for this one to be at least twice this length, and get Jack at least on the way to his new school, but it was being difficult. I figured, this is as good a stopping place as any, so I'm just going to post this and start working on the next chapter.

Don't own Pokemon. I think I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter.

Unbetaed, like the last one. Please review.

oO000Oo

_Last time:_

_Jack picked the Friend Ball up and squared his shoulders. "Go!" he called with a toss._

_The ball popped open, releasing a torrent of light that formed a small, four-legged shape. It solidified into a red-and-brown fox-like animal with six tails._

"_Vuuuulpix," it yawned._

And now…

"Oh, it's so cute," the retired nurse cooed. The guard merely blinked, his thoughts hidden. "Can I take a picture of you two? It's kind of a tradition, by now." She gestured to the walls.

"Umm, sure." Jack nodded, glancing at the vulpix. The fire fox stretched and wound its way between his legs, staring fearlessly at Ginger. As soon as the former Nurse Joy brought out the camera, it arched its neck proudly.

Ginger took the picture with a laugh. "Set it on the counter." Jack did, a little apprehensive. "Oh, don't worry, I'm just having a look," she assured him. "Old habits die hard, and this one's been built over a lifetime!"

A few minutes later, Jack was told he had a healthy, fully mature female. "Want to name her? Now's the time," she urged.

Jack bit the corner of his lip, thinking. "How about…Lyssa?" he offered. The newly-christened fire-type barked happily, rearing up unexpectedly to lick his cheek.

Afterwards, Jack waited in the carriage while the guard tracked down Liam. Lyssa was resting in her PokeBall, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. And they weren't particularly fun thoughts, either.

Vulpix were rare these days. They had disappeared not long after his parents. In fact, most thought that the only ones left were those bred and sold as pets. So getting one that was clearly meant to be a fighter…

Well, either Ginger was cheating him by selling him a pet, or she had access to a foreign breeder. Either way, he was about to become the center of attention in an entirely unpleasant way, once Lord Richards found out. What if he took her away? Gave her to Liam and made him go back and get a different one? There were very few Pokemon rarer than a vulpix, these days…

Liam clambered loudly back in the carriage, followed by a red puppy with black stripes. A growlithe. Jack shifted uncomfortably. Growlithe were pretty rare, themselves, and arcanine had until recently held an almost legendary status, but their value had since decreased in relation to vulpix and ninetales.

Fortunately, Liam didn't make any comments or ask questions. He just smirked at the other boy, confident that Jack wouldn't have a Pokemon that was nearly as valuable. Hopefully, his father would hold the same belief.

The carriage started off, the rapidash calling wildly as they jolted forward. For a moment, Jack wondered what it would be like to free one of them and ride away, never to be seen or heard from again, like his parents. Complete, total freedom. He could journey with Lyssa and the rapidash, gathering badges and going to distant lands…

For a moment, it seemed so real and within reach that it hurt. He quietly drew as deep a breath as he could and let it go, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

oO000Oo

Once they were back at the mansion, Liam immediately ran to show his father his growlithe, the young pup running as fast as its short legs would allow so it could keep up, tongue lolling out of its mouth happily. Jack and the guard followed at a much more sedate pace.

The three stood in Lord Richards's office, while Liam introduced his new starter (Spitfire—obvious much?) and Jack tried to hide behind the guard. He was mostly successful.

"What about you?" Lord Richards asked him absently, already returning to his paperwork. Jack wondered why he was asking when he clearly wasn't interested in an answer.

"I-I have a starter, yes. As w-well as the r-rest of my school supplies." Jack peeked up from where he was staring at the floor.

"Go away, then," the older man ordered by way of response. He was frowning at one paper, comparing it to another.

Jack released a relieved breath and scampered before he could change his mind, grateful that he was distracted.

Uncertain about what to do in the time being, as he hadn't been ordered back to his room, Jack wandered out into the courtyard just in time to see Liam and their guard gearing up for a battle.

Of course Liam would begin training now; he needed to be able to keep up with the other students. Already, they were drawing a crowd of servants and guards. Jack climbed up on the fence surrounding the dirt arena, sitting next to Lisa, one of the stable hands.

"Hey, Jack!" Lisa slapped him on the shoulder. "Rumor is you got your starter, too. What'd you get?"

"Hi, Lisa," Jack answered shyly. "I got a vulpix," he whispered. Her head snapped around, eyes wide. "I named her Lyssa."

"Jesus, Jack, where'd you get a vulpix?" she hissed, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. "They're practically extinct!"

"I went to _Joy's Treasure Shoppe_ instead of _Sharpe's Menagerie_. Ginger's slowking picked her out for me." The guard sent out a scizor. Spitfire dashed forward without being told. "Too bad I can't train her here, though."

"No, not in front of everyone, I think it would freak everyone out," Lisa agreed thoughtfully. "Hey! What about tonight? We can start teaching her Ember."

Jack grinned shyly. "That would be awesome." Spitfire latched onto the scizor and wasn't letting go.

"Sweet, I'll jailbreak you tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Slight timeskip here, and this time I swear I'll get Jack on his way this chapter. I am also suddenly aware that I don't think I mentioned Jack's age. That'll be brought up once he gets to the school :)

I don't own Pokemon, but I do own Jack, Lisa, and the various OCs that populate this story. And two stuffed tigers. And a purple stuffed bear. And an encyclopedia of herbal medicine.

Unbetaed chapter is unbetaed. Please read and review! I'll give you cyber brownies!

oO000Oo

_Last time…_

"_Sweet, I'll jailbreak you tonight."_

_And now…_

Jack was sitting cross-legged on his bed, gripping Lyssa's PokeBall tightly and wondering if he could talk Lisa into bringing him another book, when the lock on his door clicked softly. He hopped down and approached cautiously, the lights off; the first time Lisa had planned a jailbreak, as she called it, a servant had overheard and reported it to Lord Richards. He had stormed in when he saw Jack's lights on.

He had spent the next three days confined to bed rest.

The door creaked further open, and a head peaked around it. "What are you waiting for? Let's go before another patrol comes by."

Jack heaved a sigh of relief at hearing Lisa's familiar whisper and hurried forward. "What took you so long?" he whispered teasingly.

But instead of getting a smile or a remark about a rebellious rapidash, her brow furrowed. "It's weird. There's twice as many patrols down here as usual." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you do something stupid?"

"Wha—no, of course not," he said, shaking his head slightly. They dashed up the stairs and made their way to the kitchen as quickly and quietly as they could. "You don't think someone overheard us earlier, do you?" They crossed the tiles and pushed open the door that led into the garden, making a beeline for the trees.

Once they got to a tiny clearing Jack had discovered on an earlier assignment, Lisa ran over to a certain tree that had a bush growing next to it, partially blocking a hollow, and dug out a bag she had hidden there earlier. She brandished it, laughing triumphantly, and came back, where she stood, staring expectantly at him.

He cocked his head quizzically, making her roll her eyes and sigh in exasperation. "Get Lyssa out here, you dope! We don't have all night."

Ducking his head in embarrassment, he freed Lyssa from her ball. She yawned and looked at him expectantly.

Lisa took something out of the bag. "Okay, Lyssa, training starts tonight. Can you breathe any fire for me?"

Lyssa gave her a withering look and turned back to Jack. "Vul, vulpix?"

Jack nodded encouragingly. "Go ahead, it's fine."

The vulpix gave him a look that was impossible to read. Then she took as deep a breath as her little body would allow, held it for a moment, and expelled it harshly.

The resulting flame was small and short-lived.

"That's good," Jack praised, knowing from personal experience that a negative response would do nothing to help her. "That's a good place to start."

oO000Oo

The next afternoon found him dozing on his bed after lunch, face planted on one of his open textbooks in a failed attempt to study before having to leave for school. Jack and Lisa had spent a good hour helping Lyssa build her flame into an Ember attack, and were planning another session to reinforce the lesson for the same night. They had spent a further two hours catching up on each other's lives, since that was their first meeting in six weeks.

Sometimes he thought—he _knew_—that if it weren't for Lisa's friendship, despite knowing who his parents were, he would have died long ago. He would have given up hope of rescue, of having a life that wasn't full of pain, and he would have allowed his injuries to kill him, in spite of the medical care he was given. It wouldn't have taken much; people with less grievous wounds had died because of it. And Lord Richards had always been so adamant that Jack would know nothing else.

Sometimes he wondered if the man actually intended to kill him, like his brother. Because no matter what he said, James's death had not been an accident. Everyone working at the mansion knew it, but no one was willing to say anything.

With the acceptance letter restoring his hope, and his grief for his brother—and desire for justice—constantly at the back of his mind, and with Lisa doing everything she could for him, he was determined to survive. To live.

He shook himself out of his doze before he could actually fall asleep, propped himself up on his elbows in a deliberately uncomfortable position, and returned his attention to the introduction of _Pokemon Basics_. Though in all honesty, he didn't enjoy it much; Fairfield seemed to be of the opinion that Pokemon were more tools than companions, and assigning a textbook with such an obviously offensive opinion seemed odd. Hell, even Liam thought of his growlithe as a friend, and that really said something!

Why was it so hard to concentrate—?

His lock clicked quietly, and the door automatically creaked open an inch and a half. Something cold curled in his stomach, threatening to knot up. He inhaled, closing the textbook and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, stood, and exhaled. No guard waiting; to the office, then.

Just before he walked out, he paused. Before he could over analyze the feeling he was getting, he crossed to his tiny bookshelf and picked up Lyssa's PokeBall from where it rested between a self-made wooden carving of Arceus and a quarter of a Pink Apricorn shell with the burnt remains of sage in the bottom.

A few minutes later, he was knocking softly on Lord Richards's office door, trying to keep from fidgeting with the hem of shirt; Lord Richards did _not_ tolerate displays of nervousness. A soft command to enter prompted him to open the door.

The guard from before was there, as was Liam, who was sitting with Spitfire in his lap. Jack remained standing.

"Term will begin in a week," Lord Richards began. "You will be leaving for the ship that will take you Angels' Island in a few hours, and Cori will be escorting you. I expect you both to be on your best behavior for the trip." He gave Jack a meaningful look.

The boy swallowed. He nodded stiffly, his hands forming fists so tight one nail broke skin.

"Then go pack. You will be leaving in exactly two hours. Good luck, Liam," he added as the three filed out.

Jack's stomach churned at the thought of being away from the one place he had ever known. Even though he wouldn't really call it home, he had never been away for more than a few hours, and now he would be gone for weeks before being forced to return at winter break.

He lengthened his stride, not breaking into a run but moving quickly regardless. He didn't have much to pack; the school provided most things for him. The two hours was probably mostly for Liam's benefit; anytime he had to go anywhere, Liam tried to pack half his room.

Jack's uniforms and toiletries went into a gym bag, and his books and the rest of his supplies went into his backpack. Looking around, he decided he had gathered everything he would need. Going hesitantly over to his bookshelf, he decided to take his Arceus carving with him, and tucked it into his gym bag, between two of his uniform shirts.

The carriage was already waiting when he went out. Cori was chatting with the driver, who was—Lisa? Well, at least he would have someone to talk to on the journey. Liam was still nowhere in sight.

Two hours and fifteen minutes from when they were ordered to go pack their bags, Liam stumbled outside with a backpack and three bags. Jack was already in the carriage, reading a text book, curled as far into a corner as he could be, so he didn't get to witness Lisa's Glare of Ultimate Death and Destruction, but he knew she would give Liam it. It was confirmed when Liam climbed in, the floor seemingly the most interesting thing to him at that moment.

Cori didn't get in, but when Jack heard Lisa's voice behind him and felt the carriage bounce as the two got into the driver's box, he figured out where the guard went. Lisa clucked the reigns, and they were off.

oO000Oo

AN: Yay, they're on their way! So, now that I've finally gotten this wrapped up in a halfway decent way, I have a question: would you guys prefer a timeskip that brings them to the port? Or would you like a little stopover in a couple towns to get a better idea of the region? I have the region more-or-less planned, but the main story only really hits three or four key areas, illustrated by a few towns/landmarks. I can't say which ones without giving away the plot, though.

So…supplement the main story on the journey in? Or just keep going as I've planned? Answer with a review!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Well, since no one's commenting on whether they want to hear about Jack's journey to the port or not, I'm charging straight ahead! I may rewrite this chapter if more interest turns up later, but as of now, it isn't important for the plot, so…

Enjoy!

And just a friendly reminder, I own many things, but Pokemon is not one of them.

By the by? This chapter has important details in it. It's also a way to get to know the region as a whole, since the story takes place in only a few parts.

oO000Oo

_Last time…_

_Lisa clucked the reigns, and they were off._

_And now…_

The Forrester region is oddly shaped, when compared to the others; vaguely like a star. The Richards family owned the smallest area of land, located on the northeastern point, and shared a western border with the Wolfe lands and a southern border with the Woode lands. The area was bordered on the east by Docile Bay, a calm area of water that was shared with the Greene lands.

All the lands had access to the sea in some area, and so all of the total six areas had ports of their own. However, only three of the ports hosted Dark Myst and Dark Charm transports: Selkie's Point, founded Lady Samantha Greene in 1789; Willow River, founded by Princess Willow Woode in 1609; and Queen's Aerie, founded by Queen Alicia Anders Woode in 1787.

The closest port from the Richards estate would have been Willow River, a beautiful fishing town that rested where the river itself met the warm southern waters of Angels' Bay. By Jack's estimation, if he was remembering the map he had once seen correctly, it should have taken them five days to get there. He assumed the extra two days were for Liam's benefit, allowing him to explore the port.

On the evening of day three, they came on a split in the road, and stopped. Liam was asleep, but the suddenness jolted Jack out of his studies. Annoyed, he glared at the wooden wall between him and the driver's box, and was shocked when he heard Cori and Lisa, who had been getting along so well, starting to argue.

"If we continue on straight, we'll cut the trip by two days!" Lisa, though she had to know Liam had fallen asleep by now, was making no effort to keep her voice down.

Cori's answer was unintelligible. "That makes no sense, though!" Lisa cried, exasperated. Jack could almost see her throw her hands up. "The King's Road is in much better condition, and it'll take less time to follow it through the capitol than to take Pine directly to Selkie's Point. Pine Way isn't even a road anymore, it's barely a deerling trail at this point! Are you sure that's what he told you?"

"I have my orders," Cori said sharply. "He told me we are to take Pine Way, and I won't question that!"

There was a pause. Since Lisa wasn't one to simply drop a subject, even if she agreed, Jack assumed she was either praying or sighing. "Fine," she said finally. "If you're sure that's what Lord Richards told you, we'll take Pine Way. But if we get stuck and miss the transport because of the road conditions, then I refuse to take the blame."

A moment later, the carriage was moving forward again, and the box was all silent. But Jack couldn't return to his book now.

Seven days to Selkie's Point, if the road conditions were decent. But this road was technically under Greene jurisdiction, even though a small segment passed through Woode land, and they had been having problems of late; too many to see to their roads properly. Lisa had said they were petitioning the king to send help, but they were cursed shorthanded as well, having just strong armed the Sevii Islands into an alliance. And hadn't that been fun; the Sevii Islands allied with them, or they went to war, and for some reason, the Islands had seemed particularly bloodthirsty…

Back to the point, why would Lord Richards order them to take the long way around? Especially if there was a risk Liam wouldn't make it in time. There was no point.

Well, ignoring that Jack would take the blame and Richards would relish punishing him, but that seemed a bit farfetched. Or maybe he was looking for a reason to fire Lisa; he had never allowed her to drive him or Liam anywhere before; she was a rapidash trainer by trade, not a driver. He shifted uncomfortably at the thought.

Well, no matter what the reason, it wouldn't work; Jack had complete faith in Lisa's capabilities. Richards could fuck himself for all he cared.

oO000Oo

Jack was completely right; they made it on time. They made it with three hours to spare before the ship launched, giving Cori enough time to get them squared away, and allowing Jack to say his goodbyes to Lisa.

Liam, once on board, immediately started schmoozing with a group of the other kids. Jack didn't recognize any of them, but he still watched their reactions.

One, with strawberry blonde hair, seemed reasonably tolerant of Liam's antics, though he seemed to be trying not to actively participate in the conversation; another, with black hair, was ignoring him completely. The other two, both with brown hair in different shades, were chatting animatedly with Liam, though Liam was giving most of his attention to the first two.

Amusing, but not enough to hold him for long. Jack wandered away to a secluded corner and leaned forward on the railing, taking in the view of the ocean.

It was nearing high noon, and the sky was a shade of blue that could only ever be seen in summer. The sky was clear and cloudless, with a few wingull wheeling over the waves. The sea was dark blue, but clear this close to shore, and he could see where the coral reef stopped and started.

Angels' Reef used to cover all over Greene's east coast; it had once been composed of a rare green coral, and had interesting formations that attracted tourists from all over the world to dive and see what it had to offer. Unfortunately, the part near Selkie's Point had been cleared to make way for the larger ships; otherwise, only small skiffs and sail boats could come close to the shore there, which made loading and unloading difficult.

And far off in the distance, barely visible, was Angels' Island.

When the Forrester region was first settled, an expedition was sent to the island. There was a series freak accidents, and only two men returned out of the original twenty-five man team. The first thing was that their ship had crashed; apparently, there were lots of sharp rocks in the shallows surrounding the small land mass, and it had destroyed the ship, drowning nineteen of the team members right then. The surviving six had been determined that they didn't die in vain, though, and had continued anyway.

One man was killed by a Pokerus-infected ursaring, which also injured the other five before it was killed. Within a couple of days, they were feeling the effects.

No one was quite sure what happened after that, because the virus caused hallucinations in humans. The survivors claimed they were hunted by a pair of absol, and they had all tried to kill the beasts; three died in the attempt, but they claimed the two Pokemon were successfully put down. The two claimed to have survived on berries until the hallucinations ended and the fever had dropped, and then they lashed a raft together and made their way back. The story had been passed down through the generations as one of the greatest survival tales their culture had to offer.

Somehow, people managed to leave out that the men were gone for a total of six weeks before the survivors came back. On the next expedition, they found the skeletons of the other three with strange scratch marks on the bones; it was assumed a Pokemon had found the bodies. The island was also discovered to only have Jabco berries growing there, a peculiarity since the soil could also support other berries.

The problem with this? Jabco berries were poisonous to humans.

The tale also began an absol witch hunt; the colony discovered on the island was hunted mercilessly, as were the wild ones on the mainland. Absol became extinct in the Forrester region.

That was probably the one thing Jack wished he had the resources for: to buy an absol from a foreign breeder. Hell, he could probably survive Richards as long as he had at least one person to talk to, preferably Lisa; and if worst came to worst, he could probably survive if he journeyed on his own. But he had always loved absol, and that was his one wish, to train one.

There was a sudden crackling; it sounded like someone trying to use the PA system. Jack pushed away from the rail, automatically searching out a speaker, even though he felt weird about staring at one.

"Attention, students and staff. The _S.S. Rafael_ will be launching in five minutes. Until we reach the island, please return your Pokemon to their PokeBalls. Thank you." There was a click as the system was turned off.

Jack pouted slightly; he hadn't realized Pokemon were allowed out until launch; he hadn't seen anyone else let theirs out. And now he would have to wait until they arrived, and they would probably be sent to their dorms immediately, and Pokemon probably weren't allowed out inside. Dark Myst was extremely prestigious and he had heard the headmaster was arrogant; he wouldn't want anything to be ruined.

Oh well; he would worry about it when he got there. Sighing happily, Jack's eyes closed as the ship began leaving port, creating small, frothy waves. Normally, he was locked up in his room, only leaving for an hour or so at a time every couple of days for an "assignment." To be standing in warm sunshine and fresh ocean air…he could see others ducking inside, and he wondered if he should follow, but it just didn't appeal…

There were only a handful of people left on deck now; the strawberry blonde and the guy with the black hair, Jack himself, and a blonde who was talking to a brunette. So they were the only ones to see the small pod of lapras rise from the sea and swim alongside the ship. The three were beautiful, obviously a family unit; there were two who seemed big enough to be full adults, and a tiny one that couldn't have had a shell more than two feet across. The young one was squirting small streams of salt water into the air, splashing happily as the sun caught the droplets and made small rainbows.

Jack smiled. It seemed to be a good start.

oO000Oo

AN: Um, yeah…this one really wanted to be written, rambling and all. Sorry if I did ramble; I tried to contain it, but it's awkward without those nonsensical bits. Don't worry, though, I wasn't lying when I said there was important details in this chapter, but it may be a bit clearer later.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So, since four let itself be written so fast, I'm going to attempt to write a bit ahead. And think of a new description. **

**Also, this story is not a HP crossover. It's mostly an academy!fic featuring an OC. **

**This one's just Jack settling into the academy, not too big, but I'm planning an introduction for this one. And slight language, by the way, and graphic descriptions of Pokemon predator-prey relationships (based on dex entries), so prepare…**

**As always, please remember to review, even if you aren't signed in and have to leave an anonymous one. I can't improve if you don't point out mistakes and inconsistencies, because I have no beta.**

**Anyways, I don't own Pokemon, but I do own Jack, and the characters I introduce, good and bad. I also own 4 stuffed bears, 3 stuffed dogs, 2 stuffed tigers, and a stuffed dragon. No joke. Enjoy!**

oO000Oo

_Last time…_

_Jack smiled. It seemed to be a good start._

_And now…_

No one was quite sure how Angels' Island got its name. Some said it was because the original exploratory team had all been named after angels. Others claimed the two survivors had survived because an angel had come down and guided them.

Honestly, as the _S.S. Rafael_ docked, Jack couldn't help but think it was more likely given because it was an absolute paradise. It certainly looked like it.

Jack wasn't an expert in plants, but he at least knew what broad leaf trees looked like; they certainly weren't the same as the endless pine that covered the mainland. Most of the island was covered in broad leaf trees, except in the northwest, which was mountainous, and probably the original home of the now-extinct absol. Shrubs filled the spaces between the trees, and Jack found himself wondering where the school was and how they were supposed to get there. The mountains were low enough to not have any snow, but were still mostly rock, with trees dotting the foothills.

The PA system crackled briefly. "Attention, students and staff. We have arrived at Angels' Island. Departure is in five minutes. Students, please leave your luggage on the ship, as it will be delivered to your rooms while you are in orientation. Thank you." Jack winced as the microphone squealed before turning off.

About five minutes later, everyone was crowding on the dock, milling around while the staff tried to get them lined up. Apparently, they were walking the rest of the way, a kind of traditional "fuck you" to trainers who you couldn't keep up if you learned everything in a classroom. It would only take about half an hour to get there.

The trail was very clear cut, the dirt packed down from generations of students tromping along, and the uphill parts had wooden steps set in and partially covered. The canopy above them allowed light to filter down, slightly greenish in color, but the lower branches had been trimmed back.

Ten minutes into the walk, some of the students (primarily Liam) were moaning about the walk. The teachers leading them allowed them to stop for a minute, which was, of course, the cue for things to start falling apart.

"Man," Liam moaned, leaning against a tree. "Why the hell do we have to walk all the way there? What, they've never heard of a rapid—AHHH!"

A spinarak dropped down in front of him, looking at him curiously, while the rest of the group laughed. Jack kept his laughter to a quiet snicker, though, trying to avoid trouble with Liam.

THUMP!

Jack pitched forward as something landed on his head, making him overbalance while whatever-it-was tried to balance them by flapping its wings. He caught the color and shape out of the corner of his eye, and realized a beautifly had just made a perch out of his head. After a moment of stumbling frantically around, Jack sat down heavily on a log that had been pushed to the side of the main path so neither of them would fall over. He sighed, not really caring that the laughter had turned to him.

The butterfly Pokemon didn't stay long; it focused in on the spinarak, which had chosen to retreat, and flittered onto the branch above it, waiting for the other insect to arrive. When it did, the beautifly unfurled its proboscis and—

—everyone's mouths fell open as the insect's needle-like mouth pierced the spinarak's exoskeleton and started sucking out the insides. Jack winced sympathetically as the spider squirmed, held in place by the proboscis, which was buried deep inside it. In a last-ditch effort to free itself, the spider attempted to use what Jack thought might have been a Poison Sting, but the butterfly merely hopped out of the way of the weak attack, causing its mouth parts to twist viciously.

From beginning to end, the process took about two minutes, and then the beautifly pulled its proboscis back and the spinarak's dried-out body collapsed on itself slightly, with no organs or body fluids left. Jack could hear one boy retch somewhere to his right, but he was too mesmerized by the horrific sight of the dead spider to see who it was.

It then launched itself up, a little top-heavy, now that it was full, and landed on Jack's lap, looking extraordinarily pleased with itself. Uncertain of what to do, he petted it hesitantly, causing it to chirp happily and lean into the touch.

"Alright, that's enough," one of the instructors said finally. He flapped his hands at the butterfly Pokemon. "Shoo! Go on, get away!" The beautifly took off, startled. "What's the matter with you all? What did you think Pokemon ate? There aren't any Pokemon pellets in the wilderness, you know! Get up, we're behind schedule!"

"B-but sir," one of the boys stammered weakly, "don't Pokemon eat berries?"

"Well, of course they do!" the staff member exclaimed. "Many species eat berries, though beautifly doesn't. Pollen, nectar, other bug types certainly, as you just saw, but berries? Can't manage it with that mouth. Now let this be your first lesson!" The teacher shook a finger at them. Jack wasn't entirely sure what for. "If you ever decide to travel through wild areas, you will see many disturbing things, so you had better get over it quickly. If you have a weak stomach, then too bad! That's far from the worst thing you'll ever see, even in a sheltered classroom environment. Hurry up, we're behind schedule!"

The remainder of the hike was relatively uneventful, though the majority of the group bunched together nervously whenever the leaves so much as rustled. Jack didn't, though. It wasn't that he wasn't nervous—he was, very much so—but he also knew he wouldn't be welcome to them; Liam had made very sure that his new circle of friends could put the Wolfe name to his face, and it wouldn't take very long for the news to spread.

Jack was, however, suddenly sure he knew the point of having them walk in; the teachers escorting them were watching them critically, paying attention to the ones the others took their cues from, who was nervous, who was brave, who grouped together, who stayed separate, who had called out their partners for the short walk, who relied on the others to watch their back…he wondered what they got from all of it. Who was brave and who wasn't? Who was smart? Who was cautious? Who was the leader and who followed?

What was the relevance of it?

This was a school, somewhere to teach teens how to safely handle and battle Pokemon. Who cared who the leader was? Who cared if you acted like a mareep?

"We're here," one of the other teachers announced. And indeed, they were; the school looked…well, kind of like a Victorian mansion crossed with a castle, really. The main school was like the mansion, with five floors and a ton of windows, though most of the curtains were drawn. There were two towers in the back corners, each with eight floors and two windows on each floor on the wall facing them.

They were ushered inside quickly; the sun was already starting to set. They were then led to the library, on the fourth floor, where they were told to sit and wait. And wait. And wait.

For five of the longest minutes Jack had ever felt aside from his "reward" he got that one time—Jack stared hard at the floor, trying to avoid the memories—he sat, nervous and trying not to twitch. He was so nervous, and just a little excited, that he couldn't even laugh when Liam's eye started twitching.

The teacher who had shooed off the beautifly finally swept inside with two others, each of them carrying a stack of papers. While the two assistants set their stacks on a table, the instructor plopped his on the lap of one of the boys in the front row and stood, waiting expectantly, until the teen took one and hurriedly shoved the stack at the guy next to him, blushing so hard it looked like it hurt.

Jack took his and passed it on. As it turned out, it was his room assignment and class schedule.

_Rm. 1.7A_

_07:30—Breakfast _

_09:00—Introduction to PokeCrafting _

_10:30—Introduction to Pokemon Training_

_12:00—Lunch_

_01:00—History of the Forester Region_

_02:30—Pokemon Biology_

_04:00—Free Study_

_05:00—Dinner _

1.7_A_? He wondered how many rooms there were to a floor. And why was it 1.-anything, anyway? Maybe because there were two towers.

"My name is Carl Johnston," the teacher announced. "I'll be your biology professor." No wonder he wasn't freaked out by that beautifly. "The paper you were just given is your class schedule and room number. This pamphlet—" He dropped the next stack into the same guy's lap. "—is the school rules. I suggest you memorize them." He waited until the stack was at the end of the row before giving out the next one. "This one is a map of the building. One page for each floor, except the dorms, which are set up identically on each floor."

Johnston went on at length about the school rules after that, but Jack didn't pay too close attention. The main points he got were, _no battling in the halls, no fighting on school grounds, _and_ we have a zero tolerance policy towards bullying_.

"One last thing to keep in mind." Jack looked up, startled by the sudden change in tone. "We have high academic standards; we expect our students to maintain a 3.5 GPA. If you drop for more than one term and don't correct it, you're going straight back home." Johnston glared warningly around the room. "Now, I suggest you all go find your rooms. Classes start Monday morning, so you'll have all weekend to explore, but don't get into any trouble, or you'll have detention before the year even begins. Go on, now, shoo!"

Jack was getting the feeling that phrase would come up a lot with this instructor…

1.7A…he bet it was the seventh floor, but which tower was that? The map didn't label them, which he felt was an idiotic oversight. Well, at least he knew how many rooms there were, now…

The strawberry blonde was chatting with one of the other students; he didn't seem concerned about finding his room. Maybe he already knew where his room was. Remembering his behavior towards Liam earlier, Jack approached warily, hoping the other teen would be willing to help him.

The other guy was leaving, and the blonde seemed about to go as well, but stopped when he saw Jack approaching.

"Can I help you?" the blonde asked smoothly, face guarded.

Jack almost backed up a step. Almost. "Just trying to find my room."

"New students are in Tower One. East side." The blonde paused, then seemed to come to a decision. "What's your name?"

"Jack Wolfe," he answered curtly. There was no point in hiding it, because Liam would make sure every student he came across knew his name, but that didn't mean he had to be happy with it.

"Adrian Hawthorne." He didn't offer to shake hands or anything, but then, Jack hadn't expected him to.

_Hawthorne…? Dammit._ Of an entire group of fifteen and sixteen year olds, he had to ask a Hawthorne. He was so screwed.

Hawthorne was a name with a reputation. They were excellent crafters. A Hawthorne item was expensive, but definitely worth the price, because it couldn't be beaten by any other brand.

They were also the ones who found the smoking gun against his parents.

oO000Oo

**AN: And….that's a wrap! Mwahaha! Am I evil, or what?**

**Don't worry, the next chapter's already in the works. But until then, you get to wonder about the significance of this chapter! **

**Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Now we get to see if Adrian's a problem or not. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Ash wouldn't still be 10 years old.**

oO000Oo

_Last time…_

_Hawthorne was a name with a reputation. They were excellent crafters. A Hawthorne item was expensive, but definitely worth the price, because it couldn't be beaten by any other brand._

_They were also the ones who found the smoking gun against his parents._

_And now…_

Adrian smiled brightly, like he didn't notice Jack's spine transmuting into steel. "Where's your room, anyway?"

"Seventh floor." Knowing that the first years were all in Tower One, the room assignment made sense.

"Great, let's go." Adrian made a beeline for the door, leaving Jack to blink for a minute before jogging after him.

Well, at least he hadn't gotten far. Adrian had stopped just outside the library doors, having apparently tackled some poor kid who was waiting for him.

The scene was like cotton candy, almost. Adrian had this other guy locked in a tight embrace, with a smile that could rival the sun.

The other boy looked up, meeting Jack's eyes with one eyebrow raised. Adrian looked over sheepishly.

He coughed. "Rowen, this is Jack. Jack, this is Rowen. Rowen's a returning student. Normally he wouldn't be here until tomorrow, but he decided to come early so I wouldn't be travelling alone." Cue another winning smile.

Now, Jack knew there was nothing really wrong with smiling. Some people were just happy in general. So either Adrian was a really happy person—or he was really, really faking it. And it was starting to creep him out, just a little. And that name was so _familiar_.

"Um, that's really sweet of him…" He trailed off, uncertain if he was even supposed to answer. Oh Arceus, what if he wasn't supposed to answer? Or he said something wrong? He was going to be so _screwed_…

"I know, right? He's awesome like that!" Well, maybe he wasn't faking it so much as he was high…and Rowen had to be having a hard time breathing, because Adrian was still attached like a leech.

Rowen, thankfully, seemed much calmer. He rolled his eyes before pushing Adrian gently away. "Go find your room," he ordered. "I have to go find the headmaster." He gave Jack an exasperated look. "Please, for everyone's sanity, _don't_ let him have any more sugar."

So he _was_ high…

Adrian pouted for a minute. "I didn't have that much!"

"You had three candy bars. Then you snuck a bag of skittles when that jackass Liam was distracting me."

Adrian giggled. "He _is_ a bit of a jackass, isn't he? That growlithe of his is _not_ all it's cracked up to be." He looked at Jack, suddenly intense. "You, on the other hand, are intriguing. Where did you learn to handle wild Pokemon? Lord Richards certainly wouldn't have taught you."

Jack blinked. "No one _taught_ me anything. It's just…natural."

Adrian's face was thoughtful. "Really…?" He wandered off, muttering to himself while Rowen and Jack watched, Rowen amused, Jack wondering if he should follow him or not.

"Go." Jack looked at Rowen. "He's probably going up to his room, so you can follow him to the tower. Go."

Jack took off, before he lost sight of his hyper guide.

Rowen watched him for a moment, face unreadable. Then he turned and walked away.

oO000Oo

Jack caught up to Adrian at the end of the hall, where the other teen was looking around for him, as if confused by why he wasn't following. Then they walked towards the tower at a much more sedate pace, with Adrian staring off into space.

They were at the front hall when Adrian spoke again.

"Have you battled yet?" he asked suddenly, freezing.

"Um…" How was he supposed to answer that? Was he supposed to say yes, and hope Adrian didn't challenge him, or admit he hadn't, and hope Adrian still didn't challenge him? What if Adrian felt he shouldn't have Lyssa? What if he tried to take her?

"Jack, it's a yes or no question," Adrian snapped. He seemed to be coming down from his sugar high.

Jack was starting to wish he was still on it.

He shook his head, shrinking back slightly.

Adrian's brow furrowed. "Oh, um…sorry? Oh, hell, let's just find the tower, we can have some fun later."

The rest of the walk was silent, with Jack trailing a few steps behind rather than staying at his side. At the tower door, they were met by a cacophony of noise, making Adrian wince.

"Headache," he explained.

They both squared their shoulders and dove into the mad house.

oO000Oo

It turned out that the reason there was so much noise was laziness on the part of the students. There were eight floors, but no lift or elevator to take students to the top, so everyone from the fifth floor on was complaining to everyone else, like that would solve anything.

Adrian was kind of shocked at how people were acting—or at least, that was the closest explanation Jack had to the look on his face. Jack, for his part, decided to ignore them all and go to his room.

"Thanks," he said to Adrian as sincerely as he could, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the crowd. At his guide's confused look, he added, "For taking me over here, I mean. You didn't have to."

Adrian scoffed. "Come on, let's go find our rooms. I don't want to let Chester out in this mess."

"Chester?" Adrian asked as they wove through the bodies.

"I'll introduce you upstairs."

oO000Oo

Adrian went all the way up to the seventh floor with him. It was so blessedly quiet when they stepped inside the door labeled A, like there wasn't a mob downstairs flapping their lips.

"Thanks for coming up here with me," Jack murmured, looking away. He took a moment to take in the room.

It was nice; the floor was hardwood; the bed was a twin, white sheets with a blue comforter and a wooden frame; the desk was wood as well, an office suite with a ton of drawers and a couple of shelves on the sides; tucked into the corner was a wardrobe with one door that was latched shut. There was a blue rug on the floor, too, and a door on the wall to the left. And the best part? There was a window on the open stretch of wall to his right.

Adrian collapsed into the chair by the desk. "So," he drawled, "how 'bout I introduce you to Chester? He won't bite, I promise."

"…sure?"

Adrian grinned, pulling a familiar red-and-white sphere out of his pocket. "Stay quiet," he warned. "He needs his sleep." He pressed the button on the front.

The Pokemon that emerged was primarily yellow, with a brown band around its tail and brown shoulders. It had three toes and a fox-like face.

And it was snoring. Loudly.

It was deeply asleep, with a thin line of drool hanging from its mouth, its tail curled around its knees, head bowed slightly forward. It also had the most peculiar snore Jack had ever heard, with an almost silent inhale, and growling low and deep on the exhale. One ear would occasionally twitch as the two trainers watched, mesmerized.

"He's an abra," Adrian whispered. "They have to sleep for eighteen hours, otherwise they won't be able to use their powers." He smiled fondly. "I only wake him up for battles. He's never lost yet."

"You, um…you battle a lot?" Jack quietly set his bags on the floor and settled on the bed.

"Since I got Chester, four months ago. Return," he ordered firmly, pointing the PokeBall at the psychic type. He looked at Jack expectantly.

He wanted to see Lyssa, Jack realized. It was only fair, really, since Jack had seen Chester.

And he hadn't let Lyssa out yet. He really should. He was just so scared. What if Adrian wanted her? Tried to take her?

Slowly, he pulled out Lyssa's Friend Ball and pressed the button.

Lyssa stretched and yawned, all six tails fluffed and flared. Then she looked around, sniffing deeply. She took a few hesitant steps forward, until she reached the spot where Chester had been sleeping, and sat, looking around at Jack.

"Good girl, Lyssa," Jack crooned, rubbing behind her ears, making all six tails wag in unison.

"Holy shit, you have a vulpix?!" Adrian exclaimed. Lyssa looked at him sharply.

"Yeah." Jack picked her up and put her on the bed. She curled up next to him. "I got her last month. We got our letters a little late."

"Arceus, there hasn't been a vulpix or ninetales sighting since your parents left!"

Jack flinched. "I—so I've heard."

"Sorry, but still! When people find out, do you know how much talk that'll cause?"

"My _name_ causes talk, Adrian."

"A Wolfe drove them away, and a Wolfe brought them back," Adrian mused. "Kind of poetic, don't you think?"

"If you say so," Jack mumbled.

Adrian leaned back. "Yeah, well, let's hope everyone else thinks so, too," he sighed. "Might make things easier later."

"Things?" Jack's eyebrows rose.

Adrian smiled. "Yeah. Things."

oO000Oo

**AN: Hmm. Things. What things? All in due time…**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Adrian and Rowen and THINGS! What next? Well, read and find out.**

**And I'm SO SORRY this is late! I had the hardest time writing this chapter, plus I was preparing for NaNoWriMo. I'll try to update during November, but no promises, since I'm taking the opportunity to work on my own stuff. Or maybe a new fic, since there's this weird Star Trek/Pokemon idea that's been eating at my brain the last two weeks.**

**As per usual, I do not own Pokemon.**

**Clue Drop! Rowen's name is NOT a misspelling. Google his name and maybe you'll find out a thing or two about him…**

oO000Oo

_Last time…_

_Adrian leaned back. "Yeah, well, let's hope everyone else thinks so, too," he sighed. "Might make things easier later."_

"_Things?" Jack's eyebrows rose._

_Adrian smiled. "Yeah. Things."_

_And now…_

"Let's go explore," Adrian said suddenly.

Jack looked up from the bed, still petting Lyssa absently. "Explore?"

"Yeah. You know," Adrian waved a hand impatiently. "Look around the school and the grounds, check out the battles that are no doubt going on outside. Explore. Come on, it'll be fun," he urged.

"Yeah, up until we get in trouble," Jack muttered, standing. _We'll get in trouble, and _I'll_ be the scapegoat_.

But he still found himself standing and following as Adrian made for the door. Jack paused, looking at Lyssa, torn between recalling her and letting her walk with him.

Adrian stopped and looked back. "They'll see her at some point," he said softly before stepping outside.

Lyssa barked softly at him, pawing at the leg of his pants. When she had his attention, she trotted out the door.

For a moment, he just watched, wondering how he had let his vulpix take charge of his life. Then he shook his head, picking up a PokeBall that had rolled onto the floor at some point. He pocketed it absently, assuming it was Lyssa's.

"Hey, wait up!"

oO000Oo

_How the hell did I let myself get talked into this?_ Jack asked himself, groaning mentally.

Adrian's idea of "exploring the grounds" was to head straight into the woods and start tromping along a good fifteen feet from the path. Jack winced as his new—friend? Something—snapped a stick. Not a dry little twig that wouldn't make very much noise, but a freaking _stick_ that let every living thing in a quarter mile radius know that "Hey! Hey, there's people over here!"

Jack moved silently through the woods, Lyssa neatly avoiding sticks and twigs next to him, five feet from the path. He had experience in moving through the woods without a sound; his midnight jaunts with Lisa had helped that immensely.

No that it really mattered. With the trees woven so closely together by the path, no one could see them, and would probably assume Adrian was an ursaring or something of similar height and build. They had only been able to get off the path because there was a small gap between a couple of the trees where it let out by the school, just barely big enough for them to wriggle through.

Jack stopped, eyes shifting around, head barely moving as he surveyed the area.

The completely silent area.

He looked down at Lyssa, who was scenting the air suspiciously. "Think you can find him?" Jack asked, voice low.

Lyssa gave him a withering look that said, "Are you serious?" Then she bounded off in the direction they had last heard Adrian.

They didn't have to go far; apparently, he had just stopped moving. Which was a good thing, because there was a seviper swallowing a rattata nearby. Jack shuddered; he wasn't particularly fond of seviper. Or any serpentine Pokemon, for that matter; even dratini, cute as it was, was pushing it.

Jack winced as the seviper's jaw closed around the rattata, leaving only the tail sticking out. He almost wanted to rescue the poor thing, except it was undoubtedly already dead.

Jack slipped behind Adrian and reached out, brushing his shoulder. There was no way to get Adrian to notice without making him jump, but he still flinched when Adrian jumped, cracking a twig. The seviper's head snapped around.

Immediately, its mouth opened wide and the rattata was pushed back out. The slimy carcass dropped forgotten to the ground as the snake hissed, rearing back.

Lyssa growled in response. For a minute, despite the situation, Jack had the bizarre urge to giggle; it was that cute. He swallowed it, though, and tried to remind himself that she would probably personally fry him if he did.

She was kind of similar to Lisa, like that.

He looked desperately at Adrian; he had no idea what to do. Lisa had helped him train Lyssa, but they had never gotten to an actual battle before he left. The extent of her repertoire was "Growl," "Ember," and "Tail Whip." He knew what those attacks were _supposed_ to do, but he had no idea if they were really valuable.

Adrian seemed kind of frozen, however; his eyes were glued to the dead rattata, face caught between disgust and fascination. Wonderful.

Jack knew House Hawthorne weren't big on battling. They were crafters. They made top quality items. Generally, they tended to be a bit more sheltered than the norm, but since they spent that time indoors making some of the best training paraphernalia around, no one really begrudged them.

But Adrian had kind of implied he had battled before. Jack had expected him to call out Chester instead of watching the scene like a nature program on TV.

"Lyssa, um—Ember?" he called.

Thankfully the vulpix didn't seem to care that it wasn't really a command. She took a couple deep breaths, exhaling sharply, took another, and blasted out flames. The seviper hissed and reared back, then slashed its tail forward, the blade glowing a sinister purple.

Lyssa dodged easily and breathed fire again, though this attack missed. The seviper wrapped around her, tightening perceptibly.

"Chester, Telekinesis!"

The seviper was moved away, forced to unwrap by the amazing mind powers of Chester, while Lyssa was floated back to Jack. Lyssa yelped, pawing at the air in a panic while the seviper hissed angrily, squirming.

The serpent was slammed into a tree while the fox was set gently by her trainer's feet.

"Alright, Chester, aga—! Chester? Chess! Oh, I don't believe it, he's asleep again. CHESTER, WAKE UP!" But Adrian's commands were ignored as the psychic fox let out a tremendous snort.

And Lyssa, now that she had been lifted, floated, and wrapped in the coils of a black snake, did not seem to want to move from where she was hiding behind Jack's legs.

"Well, that's awesome," Adrian snapped. "Your vulpix is useless!"

"We've never battled before! And at least she isn't so exhausted by one attack that she falls asleep in the middle of a fi—ack!"

Something landed on Jack's head, distracting him from his argument. "Beau!"

Jack wobbled for a minute before regaining his balance. "Beautifly?" he gasped, glancing up. "You're back!"

"Fly!" And with that, the Bug-type shot a line of silk at the confused seviper, sticking it to the ground.

"Alright, let's get out of here, before it gets free!" Adrian exclaimed, turning and running. Jack picked Lyssa up and followed, slightly annoyed. Beautifly lifted off and followed.

At the edge of the path, Jack stopped, panting slightly. Lyssa was a little heavy, and he wasn't used to carrying extra weight. He pulled out the PokeBall from earlier.

"You're a bit heavy to carry," he informed her, ignoring her indignant yip. "Don't give me that, you need to rest anyway." He tapped her forehead gently with the capture sphere.

But instead of the red light he expected, she was surrounded in blue, and the light scattered away. With a frown, he took a closer look at the Ball, realizing that instead of the green he expected, it was red; he had picked up a normal PokeBall instead. Feeling his pockets, he realized he didn't have Lyssa's Ball at all. He sighed, moving to put the empty sphere away.

"Beautifly!" The butterfly Pokemon landed on his shoulder, grooming his hair with its proboscis.

"You know, I'm starting to think that thing really likes you," Adrian said thoughtfully. "There aren't many fully evolved wild Pokemon that take to people like that."

"You think it'll let me catch it?" Jack asked, stroking the Bug-type's wings carefully.

"Yeah, but are you sure you can handle it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. The wild Pokemon most people end up catching are young. Some of them are even newly hatched. They don't know much and can't fight well, which is how they get caught."

"So?"

Adrian sighed. "Jack, this one's clearly not a newborn. It's fully evolved. It's developed a lot of habits that are considered bad in tamed Pokemon. You saw how it ate that Spinarak; if it did that to a pet, it would be put down."

"…oh," Jack whispered, looking at the beautifly. "But we can work on that, right? Trainers do it all the time."

"Yeah, but by the time they have to deal with that, they're almost ready to take on Victory Road," Adrian reminded him gently. "They have a lot of experience under their belts. We haven't even had our first lesson yet."

Jack looked away. He knew Adrian was right; they hadn't even had one lesson yet, and he had no clue how to go about training a Pokemon out of a lifetime of hunting habits. But he didn't want to give up the Bug-type either; the beautifly had taken a liking to him, and he had started to, as well. It was hard to turn down something that was so willingly offering its friendship.

"I can't," he said finally.

"Can't what?" Adrian asked absently, plucking up a blade of grass.

"Turn it down," Jack clarified, looking up. "I can't turn it away, not when it wants to come with me. I can figure out how to train it as I go, but I can't tell it no." He narrowed his eyes slightly, expecting Adrian to scoff and tell him what an idiot he was, that he didn't stand a chance.

Adrian sighed, looking up at the canopy. "Okay, fine," he said finally, "but you're going to need help. Why don't we head back and hit the library? There might be some training techniques we can look up."

At first Jack just stared, unable to believe Adrian would actually help him when he had been so clearly set against it. Then he nodded, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly.

"Well, come on, then. Catch that beautifly and we'll go see if the library's open yet."

Nodding, Jack took the PokeBall out and offered it to the beautifly, who tapped its head against the front. After a moment, in which the Ball wobbled in Jack's hand, the center button glowed, and the beautifly settled into its new home.

oO000Oo

**AN: So, yeah. I've been trying to figure out how to get that beautifly caught this chapter for a long time. I hope you guys like it! Feedback's love!**


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